Social Media Beauty Filters Make Us Feel Ugly on the Inside

Jul 21, 2023

People once had to find a still body of water and stare into it to see themselves. Now, we’re all overwhelmed by our own images. With video calls, friends sharing unapproved photos, and the ever-present need to present yourself on social media, even Narcissus would beg for mercy.

But these shared self-reflections don’t always accurately reflect what people truly look like. Beauty filters are a click away on most social media apps. And just as we’ve absorbed that still images are filled with filters and Photoshop, and so shouldn’t set the standard for assessing our attractiveness, TikTok has come along with beauty filters in motion that have made us start doubting our eyes, ourselves, and our looks all over again.

StyleSeat sought to understand(Opens in a new window) how these filters change our views by asking 700 people to try TikTok’s popular Bold Glamour filter and then answer questions about how they felt afterward.

Bold Glamour is a more insidious filter than some, in that it doesn’t glitch, like others that give themselves away. AR developer Luke Hurd explained in two TikToks how Bold Glamour uses machine learning to improve its output and its believability.

Dr. Monica Kieu, a facial plastic surgeon, analyzed the app on TikTok while using the filter herself. Dr. Kieu said that it makes skin look smoother and glowier, thickens and darkens brows, makes lashes look longer and thicker, uses a neutral brown shadow and liner to enhance eyes and make them look bigger, whitens the whites of the eyes, slims and refines the nose, contours the face, and makes lips plumper.

This notion of beauty endorsed by Bold Glamour and most other beauty filters is a white European "ideal," and their enhancements are not made with people of color in mind.

After using the filter, one in five StyleSeat survey respondents said it made them feel insecure, and one in three said they wanted to get a beauty treatment to alter their appearance. Three in five said they believe that filters like Bold Glamour are bad for mental health.

It’s a sentiment put forward by some TikTokkers themselves, who used the filter to illustrate their struggles with self-esteem and social media. Influencer and law student Hira Mustafa highlighted not just how filters make her feel but explained that she has ceased using them because of how they can make others feel.

Joanna Kenny, a body-confidence influencer who led the #poresnotflaws movement, said, “I don’t want to say this about myself but I actually look ugly when I take this filter off.”

In line with that sentiment, three out of five surveyed say they believe beauty filters are bad for mental health, and seven out of 10 say the filters negatively impact self-esteem.

The Bold Glamour filter has been viewed 68 million on For You Pages and has been used and viewed 941 million times, according to StyleSeat. We’re consumed by these images as we scroll and scroll through them—and they can eat us alive.

Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!